Thousands of farmed Atlantic salmon escaped into the Pacific waters near Victoria, B.C., and the U.S. company that owns the fish farm is blaming the solar eclipse.
A net holding 305,000 fish at the Cooke Aquaculture fish farm near Cypress Island in Washington State imploded on Saturday, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said. It is estimated that approximately 5,000 Atlantic salmon escaped the net.
Cypress Island is located about 50 kilometres east of Victoria.
In a statement, Cooke Aquaculture said the unusually high tides ahead of Monday’s solar eclipse caused the net to implode.
“Exceptionally high tides and currents coinciding with this week’s solar eclipse caused damage to a salmon farm that has been in operation near Cypress Island for approximately 30 years,” the company said.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials are encouraging people who catch fish to take as many of the Atlantic salmon as possible to protect the native Pacific salmon species.
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CTV News – August 23, 2017.
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